Shh. Can you hear that? Yup, that's the sound of a pin dropping when it comes to Microsoft shouting out and marketing Windows Phone. The company had a rather elusive presence at CES earlier this year, as well as the recent Mobile World Congress. If you ask anyone, "Who's powering Windows Phone marketing?" I bet the majority (if not everyone) will answer, "Nokia." So what's up with Microsoft?

The Register has gone into detail as to how hints were supplied at MWC that Microsoft doesn't feel the need to prove how great the company (or the mobile platform) is, which could be the case if Windows Phone were the number one platform - but this isn't quite reality just yet. There have been grumbles about Microsoft, its Windows Phone corporate vice president Terry Myerson and its apparent "play-dead" marketing strategy.

Sources were noted by The Register to state that Myerson is "old school Microsoft", attempting to preserve the purity of the platform. What's somewhat alarming is how it's reported that defects apparently require three OEMs to demand something is fixed before any action is taken by Microsoft. This is a stark contrast to what we witness from the likes of Joe Belfiore and Ben Rudolph - where enthusiasm for the product is all that's displayed.

It's interesting to note that no complaints were reported from Nokia, but rather from other parties. Nokia's Michael Halbherr informed The Register:

"Number one, we build great products. This is the second generation of devices, and you can now see our full portfolio. We’ve worked with Microsoft to stress differentiation. We do this with imaging and location, and also with our design. Number two, we work with operators. Operators want to rebalance the ecosystem."

Halbherr finishes off with should a problem arise, he can quickly contact Terry and vice versa. Microsoft is a massive company, there's no doubt about it, but if they're serious about Windows Phone (which appears to be the case) then it makes one wonder why they're not pushing it as much as (or more than) Nokia. We would have preferred to have seen a huge presence at MWC this year with representatives on the ground and getting word out.

But alas, Microsoft is Microsoft. One could also argue that this could also be the reason why OEMs have shied away from Windows Phone. We could go into a full-scale rant about Microsoft and how the company has handled Windows Phone in the past (as well as the present). You could take Windows Phone 7.8 as a perfect example. Where is it? Why has it been delayed? What's being done about the Live Tile issues? There's just a sheer lack of communication with consumers.

There's still hope that cries are to be heard from not only consumers, but developers too. Microsoft has a superb product (according to reviews, feedback and adoption rates), which needs care, love and attention. For the time being, it's receiving all three from everyone but Microsoft.

Reader comments

So, Microsoft won't fix for example the "other" storage problem untill THREE OEMs report it as a problem?
Now that's just perfect, seeing as only two of them are committed and selling <8GB phones.
That way MS won't ever have to fix a darn thing, and continue to live in their delusion, that their product is perfect and it's the OEMs' fault it's not selling well.
Well it's obvious that if those execs don't get replaced soon WP is going to join Kin and Zune in the trash.
Instead of "How MS could have saved XBL on WP, part 5" WPCentral should start an editorial on "How could MS save Windows Phone, assuming it's not too late yet".

Excellent article Rich. One who cares for Microsoft and windows phone can't ignore the incompetence shown by the executives. The very fact that the WP is struggling to take a 3% smartphone marketshare in 5 years with a giant like MS behind it is plain awful. The WP hierarchy is an abject failure. Replace them with young lots who are passionate about their products and caring for the customers who buy them. Terry Myerson OUT!

How exactly is MS not supporting WP?
They have had their first set of major ad campaigns go through, 3 major updates in the last year, explosive app store growth, great phone adaptation, and they have a team working on new features with the Blue updates coming late this year or early next year (though there will probably be some smaller updates before then).
I think what is going on is that MS learned from their lesson last year; Last year there were a lot of people waiting for Mango to be released, but before Mango launched it was made known that Apollo would be launching, and most rumors at the time said that it would not likely work on current hardware. So while many jumped on board with the Mango launch, there were more people waiting to see what Apollo/WP8 had in store. All of the rumors flying around made for great buzz, but low sales numbers, so I think that MS is now trying to keep quiet for a bit so that they simply don't get in the way of what is going on. While enthusiests (myself included) like to know that the 'next big thing' is coming aroud the corner, most people are more interested in a good platform that they are not going to have to mess with for a while. Personally I think there needs to be a better middle ground where enthusiests can know that something is around the corner, but without scaring mainstream users, but if they are going to make an error then keeping quiet is the better of the two at the moment.
I think most of the work being done right now is on the back end anyways. My understanding is that they are reworking the dev and store end of things right now to make that process as easy to make apps as easy and as cross platform as first promised. Once they get close to launching/fixing it then they will make some announcements, but it is really more for developers, not for end users.
On the consumer side of things I think we will see a few bug fixes and releases, but for the most part it is just going to be small potatoes until Blue is launched, and Blue is so far away (and so secretive) that we probably will not hear much about it until this fall. So ya, they are not sitting idle, it is simply going to be a quiet year for the consumer side of the news. But if all goes well then we will see more big app releases (come on Pandora!) which is really where the WP platform is hurting anyways.

Well said Daniel, my sentiments exactly. It seems to me that WP is integral to what MSFT is trying to achieve; a seamless integration of its software across multiple devices. Maybe it's not progressing at the speed some would like but the scope of their endeavor is enormous and I think MSFT is more than capable of pulling it off. For me the "shut up and ship" mantra translates to "less talk, more work"...and that's not a bad thing.

MS don't have a WP •product• to sell. Likewise you'll see little W8 marketing, but lots of Surface ads.
When/if MS has a physical phone, then they'll back it...until then, its the OEMs who need to build the momentum.

Sorry but I have to disagree. The phones are marketed as Windows Phones. Visit windowsphone.com and you'll see what I mean. They use the manufacturers as a partnership, so the OEMs will have to do their fair share of their own marketing, but the "type" of phone is branded as the HTC 8X Windows Phone, for example. The WP operating system is not an open source system yet like Android, so it is branded more than Android. IOS and BlackBerry are not comparable in this regard because they manufacture their own phones.

A lot you, including the author, are completely overthinking this thing. Sorry.
Microsoft understands what some of you don't: that even a modest share of the overall smart phone market is enough to be profitable and sustainable. My worst case scenario is that WP has a 5% worldwide market share a year from now, which would equate to 40m+ units sold. As long as you have a store that works, that's more than enough that it can't/won't be ignored by major developers. THEN, if and when one of the big 2 stumbles (probably Android,) Microsoft intends to be there to pick up that market share.
I don't see the point of advertising heavily beyond making the brand known. I think they're largely succeeding at that.
Microsoft should continue work on the product, not on the advertising. Almost everything is in place to make a run at Android and Apple. We'll see.

WP8 division has clearly been mismanged and poorly advertised. Some heads need to roll and replaced with better n more enthusiatic person, one who cares about the ecosystem...All I can see is nokia putting out their best n no effort from microsoft whatsoever.I hope microsoft sorts out thing coz this is a very promising os which is being managed by some aholes!

I wondered what happened to Microsoft's marketing of WP as well: It's virtually nonexistent.

I get the feeling that Microsoft still believes they can build something and people will come because it's a Microsoft product - not so.

Microsoft has REAL competition now, and they have fight/compete to gain mindshare. Microsoft is hated by alot of people. And even though I truly believe they have excellent products in Surface and WP, they are ignored by the average consumer because of their arrogance, bullying, and now REAL competition.

i said this before but it should come to no ones surprise that MS has basically gone silent with WP. MS see's what WP's market share is at. with a big push and the 920's release it has barely budged. i think whats gonna happen is they will mass release a bunch of top apps, official ones. sit back and see what happens. if they see movement i guarantee you will hear more from MS, like "leaks" about a surface phone. which they delayed.i also bet it got delayed because Microsoft see's whats going on with WP numbers.

Me personally I have an issue with this dang "Other" folder taking up more space than my apps. Right now I have 5.34gb of apps and 6.20gb in that sand "Other" folder...this needs to be addressed. This will hurt app sales drastically.

I can't believe this article was written..there are no issues with Microsoft because they are "being silent". They have learned to just shut up and ship and not announce product OS update months before general availability (hint: 7.8). WPCentral continually proves to be a horrible site for everything non Windows Phone app reviews.

I still love windows phone maybe because I have only had it for 2 months, but so far all they need to do is fix Xbox music sync. To be honest I don't need a notification center since the lock screen does that and live tiles, so personaly I would just get the live tiles working properly.

i have been with windows phone 7 since it came out had windows phone 8 since the first day that came out.. NOKIA 920 best phone i ever used, but i couldnt take it n e more. MS just simply doesnt give a F. perfect example is the lack of xbox games and skye which their product/software and nothing, so i switched last week got an android

i dont get what your trying to get at? did you make wp8? y r u "offended" that i switched? i like windows phone 8 but its pathetic when the users are more excited and talk about it more than than Microsoft itsself all their focus is on windows 8 and wp8 seems to be a marketing plug. i miss some of the features from my wp but it is what it is

Because msft and nokia will come out with a bang this year,this writers wants msft to leak out future products period!!! I see wp8 commercials all the time on tv I dont know what they complaining about

WOW. Lets go Ms get your @$$ in gear advertise advertise advertise. please that's all we want is to turn on the boob tube and see a widows phone 8 come on on every local channel. When I'm watching my local news at nite I wanna see a windows phone 8 add.

My question is, "Honestly, what are you doing to pass the word?" I ask all the users, can you possibly match the love I spread regarding this platform? How many of YOUR friends say, " Man, you should be working for Microsoft..." So maybe my real question is...What do I have to do to be the point man for them getting the word out? A degree, experience and skills? Oh... =(

Microsoft has never really gave a shit, that's why they are behind the rest. They dropped the ball on Windows Mobile and let Apple and Google take over when they were at the top because they felt that there wasn't enough demand for Mobile smart phones, Steve Ballmer even laughed at he iPhone; remember that? Now they do push WP more than they did WM and there are a lot more apps but they still have this everything is okay attitude, people will like what we tell them to like.

This is very EASY to understand. Nokia does NOT, promote Windows Phone - they promote LUMIA. And in the US, most manufacturers rely on the carriers to promote the phones - not the OS manufacturers (Apple being an arguable exception, except they sell devices, not OSes.). Unfortunately, this is all justification for bean counters at MS, to cut back the ad budget.
.

I am literally bombarded with WP8 ads. On the street and and on my TV. Most of them involve Gwen. The carriers seem to show no interest and that is a problem.
That being said, I'm not concerned about advertising at all. I'm concerned about 7.5GB of Other that I can't get rid of an the lack of response by MS. They don't seem to care about fixing fatal bugs in the OS. They should buy Nokia and let someone who cares about the platform make sure it works.

To me this is FUD and does nothing to help the platform. I see ads on TV all the time as well as online. And Nokia do a great job too.
Microsoft need the platform to succeed and they know that. The investment in Nokia was part of showing massive support for WP.
I expect we'll see many good updates. Time will tell.

Right on. It seems to me guys running WPC are just stupid. They can't help themselves. They see some down trend in their site ranking (seasonal really) and they feel they have to post something like this to draw clicks, little do they know they are killing their reputation and get on MS's ignore list in the future. Dumb kids. I'm going to say this: A big part of WP problem is fan sites like this and equally dumb fans who get all stirred up from this kind of article.

The only anger and frustration you'll get is mostly from the tech crowd (small %). Average consumers don't care about this level of transparancy and communication. In regards to playing dead, that's not a bad thing since it keeps their competitors in the dark, while understandibly frustrating to WP fans - I believe protecting Microsoft's portfolio is a higher priority.
Microsoft needs to come up with a big annoucement for WP8.5/9, if not there's something seriously wrong internally.

honestly the people who are saying "o microsoft should get off their lazy as***" well stop it! i realize this is frustrating and microsoft could deffinetaly do more! but no other company is better they are all lazy as well as microsoft honestly i do think Nokia could be one of the least lazy but i believe that that is true because they only have to worry about their phones and services! unlike microsft, google and apple!!! i love my lumia 920 and i also hope that nokia can teach microsoft a lesson.

I guess I'm missing something. When watching TV with the misses I see Windows Phone ads all the time. I see them popping up on some of the sites I go to also, like Hulu. What do people want? Mircrosoft to do wack us in the face with how awesome Windows Phone is, like a proud over enthusiastic parent showing pictures of their kids.

+ 1000 I seriously don´t understand people who keep this negativity going for no reason. Sure there is still a lot of room for improvemet in wp but microsoft is aready on a very regular update sckedule that should flesh out the OS fairly quickly. If the 3 or 4 updates to come out before windows blue are as usefull as portico that will be good enough.

"Number two, we work with operators. Operators want to rebalance the ecosystem." I am not sure what does this statement imply but, as consumer, I know that their wishes are usually the opposite of mine.

People arguing that Microsoft doesn't need to advertise because Google doesn't are being silly. Google is the top mobile OS, they don't need to advertise. The reason the OEMs advertise Android is because they want you to buy their Android phone over the other guys'. Windows Phone has one exclusive manufacturer. HTC seems to have thrown together a solid phone and it seems, for Samsung, Windows Phone is a side hobby.
Being a distant third place with 3 more mobile OSes coming out over the next year or so means they need to get a hell of a lot more aggressive than they have been.

I would argue that the problem has nothing to do with hardware. I has doesn't have much to do with advertising. I would even argue that it doesn't have a whole lot to do with the OS itself. I think the real issue when it comes to Microsoft and WP is software. By software, I mean applications. Sure, Windows Phone isn't quite at feature parity with Android or iOS, but it's pretty self-sufficient at this point in terms of the OS by itself. There are nagging issues, and some more major ones, but nothing platform breaking.

if WP had the developer support that it needs to get off the ground, then people wouldn't mind the issues with the OS, because what is getting attention is that which matters most to people. Everyone wants what everyone else has, and what Windows Phone needs is what everyone else has, and to have a close to parity version, feature wise, if not a better one. If all of the major social networking apps were supported by the developers of those networks, if there was one official YouTube app, if a lot of the more major official apps seemed to be as aesthetically and functionally appealing as, say, the new Twotter update, then that's what attracts people. The OS is the starting point to get them in the door, but you have to move to keep people beyond the initial honeymoon period and how you do that is through the apps and continued support of those apps. Some of it isn't their fault, to a degree. It just comes with being late. Some of it is, though. It shouldn't be Nokia who is trying to capture apps and win over developers. It should be MS.
If they expect to even win third place, then they have to fight for that support. You'll get more people to the platform, more developers to fuel the ecosystem, alliance with the major companies and thereby potential dibs on support for new features, and you'll get free advertising, because more and more people will be convinced through word of mouth.

Can we please stop this bait for replies WPCentral? You don't need it.
It's not MS's job to promote Windows Phone. That's OEM's role. Microsoft tried it, but the OEM's didnt want to. So why spend time on marketing while everyone else besides Nokia doesn't want to help the ecosystem.
If i were MS i would just license Windows Phone exclusively to Nokia and just forget the rest. Let them just die with their piece of shit Android system and let's see who is laughing the last.

Rich, why would you expect Microsoft to be present at MWC? Its generally, where new things are introduced. WP is not new, its old, and IMHO, MWC is not a right place to push the OS. I think, the converse would have happened, ie., if MS were present, there, it would have given an indication, that the OS is still not up and running. Its for the same reason, why Blackberry is not there. On the other hand, MWC can be a perfect place for MS to introduce, say, XBOX or a new tablet or its own phone (just for the heck of it ;)

Lots of ads here via ESPN and all the "Mainstream" TV channels featuring celebs.
That said, I love my nokia 920 camera, but once someone else copies the hardware im out. Windows 8 is a nice compliment to the hardware (cold touch and oIS camera) but the system sucks for anything more then basic business tasks.
Once SG4 comes out or a comporable camera phone, Im leaving

I want MS to speak up about WP, but they could be silent because of tie-ins with Blue and neXtBOX. Too much is going on inside Microsoft and they can't spill the beans on one product without rumors coming out on the others. Remember their main goal... Three screens and the cloud.

I dont think there is an advertising issue as i am reading through the comments, i see windows phone advertising all the time especially gwen stefani's windows phone add. I see her and Cam's the most. The problem is not advertising to me, they invested and i think the commercials are out there.

I think the problem with windows phone platform now is that they essentially beta tested everyone with wp7 and wp8 is not too much different in terms of game changing features. Yes we got lock screen stuff and some more options, but essentially the OS isnt too much different. The problem i have with MS is the lack of integration taht they had promised months ago, getting games/apps within reasonable time after announcing (pandora), and integrate a division you own into that OS like skype. They haven't done enough to get people to move over, yes the OS is different, but there needs to be great execution as well and MS is not doing that very well, imo.

What happened to that early adoption program thingy, what happened to pandora, those EA games, those gameloft games, all these wonderful apps, can't even purchase and watch vidoes on your phone, can't purchase video on xbox and watch on your phone like they said it would, poor implementation with skype and skydrive. Skydrive and skype should not be seperate apps, they need to be in the OS and fully integrated. I really hope the skype and skydrive is a bridge towards a fully integrated experience for the two, if not, i question the competency of the decision maker within MS to do that.

As a person who is addicted to technology and looking at all the angles when it comes to making a purchase, I have played with Android, Blackberry, iOS and Windows Phone and the latter is by far the best in terms of UI and Usablity.
However as it relates to support from the vendor itself, Microsoft has left the support of their Platform up to the OEM's building the devices on which to run the OS. Strange isn't it?

So I guess Google has some issues with Android because they let the OEM's market the products? I also guess there are some serious issues with xbox since I can't remember the last time I saw an ad. I can't believe I wasted my time to even look at this waste of bandwidth. This is not news - it is an ill informed op-ed piece. People really need to get some perspective. Apple directly markets its i products because they actually manufacture and sell them. The same goes for BlackBerry, except in that case I use the term sell very loosely. Microsoft markets the hardware it directly sells and markets Winodws and Office because those are their signature products. AT&T has marketed Windows Phone heavily and even VZW has thrown some money around. Nokia has also obviously spent some serious money (anyone want to take a guess as to the source of most of that money?). There has been high visibility since release and numbers are supposedly significantly up from WP7. Another day and another unfounded bit of op ed from people looking for hits on their sites.

The reason MS has to produce Surface RT/Pro tablet, because no other OEM can produce the good products yet. MS needs to do that to set up the bar for them to follow. As for WP, Nokia's already done an awesome job. That is why there is no need for MS phone.

Speak for yourself; I would buy a Surface phone with updates coming straight from MS as for my Windows OS immediately. Although I do not buy carriers crippled phones I still have to deal with Nokia nonsense releasing updates to carriers before that to its own devices.

Daniel, don't you review articles getting posted here? I can't believe you let this one get by. Look at the clicking whoring title geez. Very disappointed in wpcentral. I thought wpc was better than others.

Between WP8, Windows 8, Windows RT and Surface (plus XBox and Office), I think MS has too much going on. I own and like the promise behind each of these products, however it's 2013 and they are each too limited for the markets they compete in. It appears MS does not have enough talent to quickly address the widespread and signficant problems/limitations users are experiencing with their products.

They have a huge Fall planned with XBox and the Haswell chips leading into Atom 64-bit tablets. Nokia is getting the phones out globally at the right price points. Its a good time for them not to over sell. Next year the whole eco system is out, Everything will be Blue, And hardware prices will be more accomodating. Put this in persepctive. Where were they at last year at this point? No where. Lumia 900s hadn't shipped. Windows 8 was in Developer preview. Skype was buried. Office Web Apps and Sky Drive were getting some basic updates. Within 2 years from May 2012 to May 2014 they wiill reinvent their entire business.

Didn't we say this last year about the Win8/WP8 rollout? It's always this attitude of "the next big thing is going to bring the breakthrough." I've been with WP since 12/2010 and I'm getting tired of TALK. Enough excuses, enough of playing catch-up.

Betting that the competition will stand still is a very foolish gamble. It could happen, it happened to both Palm that was the king of the PDA market and to MS itself when WM had 50% of the market but, again relying and hoping solely to other companies mistakes is asinine.

I wouldn't bet against Nokia buying the Windows Phone OS and making it their own you know... And before anyone laughs, I really don't think that's beyond the realms of possibility, despite it allegedly being part of Microsoft's new look. Microsoft's lack of marketing, or swift action, is increasingly concerning. Its almost as if there secretly admitting defeat. I worry for Nokia, not Microsoft.

As lame as the new ipad commercials are, they are on tv. I don't recall seeing one Windows Phone commercial during the NASCAR, the Oscars, the Grammy's. Not sure how they expect to reach a large audience....oh right, movie theaters. Good lord.
Oh look another ipad commercial.

I wonder if it might relate to letting the manufacturers of the handsets do some work. Microsoft probably have a very little voice with people like carriers compared to a company such as Nokia. How much advertising of Android does Google do? Most of the advertising comes from the likes of HTC.

How many commercials does Google do for Android? Android became big because Verizon started pushing it big time. On Androids the oems and carriers do the advertising. The question is why aren't the carriers doig more to push a third ecosystem. It's in their best interest not to let Google or Apple get to strong.

I agree with this 100%. Android was a niche until Verizon pushed it big. AT&T is Windows Phone's premier partner and has done more to promote the brand than any other carrier (not saying much) but they still sold and promoted iPhone and Android. Since T-Mobile is in 4th place, maybe they could make a deal where the carrier goes exclusive?

It isn't just advertising, we're asking why Microsoft isn't backing WP as though it were a key Microsoft product!

Look at how much money they poured into Xbox over the years, if only WP had like 1/5 or even 1/10 of that love we probably would see apps like Instagram, Flipboard, official Facebook, etc, by now. In fact, forget the apps, we would probably see those services deeply integrated into the OS on an unparallel level. For example, Instagram baked into the Lenses and People's Hub, or Facebook's VoIP services hooked into the People's Hub and running in the background. Or how about the fact that although we have Xbox branding on the phone, we don't have key Xbox titles such as Halo or Forza to push WP as a value added platform to Xbox 360 users?
Money can make WP's world go round on a scale we'd have difficulty imagining right now IF Microsoft poured in the requisite amount of financial and human resources.

Android did well because they took davantage of the window of opportunity offered by Apple selling a high priced, vers locked down device and MS That, after ditching Photon that was already late, waisted more time getting WP7, which at launch was really an half backed product. Google got the right time of exécution, something that could slip away for MS if they do not act quickly.

I feel like I've been waiting for something magical to happen since 2010...its getting difficult, im not as excited as I used to be. Its a great OS, don't get me wrong. It just feels like something is missing with the way its being handled by Microsoft. Without us and Nokia, things would really be bad. It seems like Nokia folks work hard enough to own the rights to WP8.

I feel the same way I still love WP over ios or driod. However can only go so many years waiting for Microsoft to deliver on its promises. I have no plans on leaving WP but I am def not excited anymore. Its just one continuous loop of waiting for another update that want be what was touted.

They haven't had to work this hard in so long, they don't know what to do. The 360 was the last time they actually had to bust their asses to be relevant. That was 8 years ago. Windows phone is an impressive product and Nokia has made it cooler than pre Nokia. But at the end of the day, if Microsoft doesn't write those checks to Zuckerberg for Instascam, take windows out of the name, buy some time on Glee and The Voice and roll out some A list stars Like Bieber, Beyonce, GaGa, Rihanna, Ryan Gosling ....etc, its going to fail. These actions are completely opposite the traditional method of building a fan base. But these aren't traditional times. Its like old people trying to market to young people. In theory they know what they're doing but in reality they just don't get it.

I completely agree! That's why I compared this to BlackBerry. They went through the exact same thing. They hired new executives, and got the ball rolling to produce a fresh new os bb10. But a lot of young ppl still don't know about it. The difference is, wp8 is sooo user friendly. The UI is refreshing, techy, elegant, all at the same time. Combine the trendiness of a fresh UI with the colorful combinations of phones and start screens, and you'll be begging teens to please leave some on the shelf.
What Microsoft (like IBM) doesn't realize is that by marketing some products to a trendy-forward audience only increases the likelihood of sales. The galaxy s 3 was popular before it was even released but they still had a ton of commercials.
At the end of the day, when u walk into a carrier store or visit their website, most windows phones r not getting the same advertising as other devices. Therefore proper advertising will give it a better playing field.
If they are depending upon Nokia for the bulk of their advertising needs...my mother used to say: "Never put all your eggs in the same basket..."

Microsoft needed a good jump start with Windows Phone 8. They should have done the same thing they did with Windows 8 and offered the Surface Phone upon release.

Leaving ANYTHING up to Nokia is a mistake. They screwed up the 920 release by making it exclusive. Imagine the "what could have been" if TMOB and VZW had a like device from Nokia late in 2012 to release. NOW, Microsoft wants to leave all advertising and positioning up to Nokia? Again, big mistake.

Also, to add insult to injury, HTC announces NO NEW WINDOWS PHONES in 2013 this week.

Hell, my Nokia on VZW doesn't even have Portico yet. Seems like one black eye after the next.

Microsoft is in dying need of restructuring and getting in new people to get the job done..honestly it just feels they have their heads up their asses. I just sense no humility and understanding of the kind of effort they need to give. WP is a great product, but that doesn't matter if it isn't given a fuckload of attention and pushing to the consumers, given the situation with the smartphone market.

I do think Microsoft is (or should be) working aggressively bringing those Windows 8 gestures to Windows Phone. I was staring at an app earlier today, wanted to swipe from the top to bring up the menu, knowing I couldn't do it. My feeling is Microsoft doesn't talk much about current generaton products when they know something new is coming imminently. Another possibility is that they are moving Windows Phone to Windows Division instead of Device, and there are some management bad blood occurring. If the later is the case it's quite unfortunate.

Microsoft has sucked at advertising for a long time. They get great products like Windows Media Center which still amazes people when I tell them I can record 4 HD channels at once on my PC, but they don't know how to get the word out to the masses. Apple can turn around and release the exact same thing and people will think they just sliced the first loaf of bread because thier ad agencies will make it look like they're selling that thing you never knew you had to have.
Ballmer said there'd be a lot more Windows Phone ads out there and I do see them in print but the TV ads have pretty much disappeared in my area since Windows 8 hit the streets.

This. I realize that WMC is not "the way of the future" with hosted "cloud" video services, as the rest of the industry wants things to be. But if Microsoft could have made this a cohesive product to be offered by some cable competitor like satellite or AT&T U-verse, rather than trusting OEMs like HP to do the dirty work of providing the HTPC + Tuner + Remote, this would have been an amazing leap forward over cable set-top boxes that still suck to this day. I'm preparing to trade in my Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HDC for a WMC PC with 4 tuners. Not only will I be able to store more TV, record twice as many shows at once, and copy those shows to other PCs, DVD, etc; but I won't have to pay Time Warner $10/month for their pitifully slow box.

I forgot to mention that I know a former IBM engineer that said the same for its company...that IBM really didn't see itself as a mobile friendly company and that's why they sold their laptop division to an Asian company- who rebranded it as Lenovo.

I'm just relaying part of a conversation between myself and a high-level manager who was with IBM for 20+ years. I was also only referring to the laptop division and not the regular PC or all in ones that they sell....no harm done, no harm intended.

Microsoft shouldn't advertise WP much as Nokia, HTC, Samsung, etc... They don't make a phone they make the OS. How many Windows 8 commericials do you see? You see Surface commericals because that is the product.

Exactly. I know what you mean. Just like Google, you don't see them advertising Android with commercials, its all the OEMs like Samsung and HTC and such that are. Google makes the software but relies on the OEMs to advertise it on tv. When it comes to internet advertising, thats a different story.

There's a difference though - Google doesn't charge for its OS, but Microsoft does. So Microsoft is making money off the phones, and would have an incentive (and posibly partial responsibility) to advertise.

WP could be incredible but its not and that's microsofts fault. They are incompetent. The released wp7,7.5,8 that wasn't finished and now 7.8. But the problem is that 8 feels more like a 7.8 than a new os. Its missing so many key features and son really simple one. Why isn't there the ability to create albums for photos? How simple can that be.

My love affair with Windows phone is over.. The lack of things they promised me when they were talking about wp8 before it released isn't here yet. All the problems with syncing and Xbox music should not be happening, or taking so long to fix IMO... I wish I wouldn't have jumped on the band wagon so early....

I still love windows phone maybe because I have only had it for 2 months, bit so far all they need to do is fix Xbox music sync. To be honest I don't need a notification center since the lock screen does that and live tiles so personaly I would just get the live tiles working properly.

Huh. There's been quite alot of marketing here in the UK. Although not over the past few weeks, it was only just over a month ago that there were Windows Phone branded digital ad booths along with a kiosk to try out the windows phone with representatives at a major shopping centre. Alongside that I've seen plenty of bus stop ads and around that time also saw the TV advertisement plenty of times.

I can't see them constantly marketing it... you don't see Google or Apple doing it constantly. It'll be in bursts. Doom and gloom ftw!

Google and apple own the mobile market between them, they have no need to advertise. Microsoft on the other hand is so far behind they have to advertise the product if they want consumers to even know it exists.

This, definitely. Every time I get on the underground (I live in Germany) I see an ad for Windows Phone, keep seeing press ads as well. I would say that Microsoft is doing a good job of getting the word out, and the important place to be is on the street and in the mobile phone shops. No chance for me to go see a booth in Barcelona but I'm starting to see WP being pushed harder in shops, in print ads, in ads from Saturn, etc. etc.. Certainly the ads in the underground and in print are placed by Microsoft because they are the same line talking about "this person's phone" and the phone changes, sometimes it's a Lumia, sometimes it's the 8X.

I'm also a blackberry fan (hence my name, lol)...and I've also wondered why bb didn't commit to strong advertising especially since a completely new platform bb10 was emerging. Like the new college student video, there were ton of other commercials,but not from the manufacturer itself. (in my opinion the super bowl commercial did nothing to show users what bb can do.)

I wonder if they r going to sell the windows phone platform in the near future... And if so, if Nokia will be the future owner. Its almost as if they are neglecting it like a cinderella-like stepchild....its a beautiful interface and with careful attention, could be the 'newness' that Android and ios users are now craving!

Spirits were high when mango was released. But it would seem with Apollo and portico.. Windows phone fan morale is low. We need another victory. A big update to put us on par with android/iphone, instagram app release, a truly USEFUL wallet app with developer backing (the right dev is everything), a more enthusiastic Xbox gaming push. We neeeed this

The problem is MS keeps going sideways, not forward. Add something, lose something else. WP8 is not better than WP7. In many ways it is worse. In some ways, much worse. And the things that really needed doing, like making the email client not unbearable, making something -- anything -- to make notifications usable, upgrade the built-in office client past suckface, giving us a solution for PDFs, upgrading (not ripping the guts out of) Zune, etc., just didn't get done.

And for all the talk of ecosystem, which undoubtedly is a major part of why people would chose a MS platform: where is the Skype client that equals the one on iOS or Android? Where is the world-beating Exchange integration? Where is the tie-in with Xbox? Where is Xbox video?

What about the ability to use "Categories? What about a "real" single inbox so that, if I have multiple accounts I can choose from which one reply. What about a single " sent items" box. Of course all these features should be available as an option.

Are you joking? It is an unusable POS. How come I can't attach anything other than a pic/vid. How come I can't edit the contents of an email before I forward/reply? How come I can't forward/reply from an account other than the one I received the email from? How come the live tile goes back to zero when all I do is open the app, rather than showing me the number of unread messages? Where are the color codes for type? How can I set a flag with a to-do date so I get a reminder to respond at an appropriate time? How can I attach one email to another (not just forward)? These are all features I use many times daily, each. I could do most of them on my last three smartphones, a Treo (PalmOS), an E71 (Symbian) and a Pre (webOS), but not my new 920.

Well said. Exactly why I've completely lost faith in Microsoft. I'll continue to use my Windows Phone and Xbox. But that's it! My tablet is a Galaxy tab 2 & I no longer have a home PC or laptop. But if I did it would not be Windows 8.

Exactly right. To me it seems like they have about 10 people working on windows phone and all of them are trying to go in different directions. They need thousands of people all moving towards making it feature wise better than its competitors. The live tile interface was good 3 years ago but the tiles need to be more flexible to compete with widgets. And the UI needs to not have elements where you can only see part of a word (for example when I'm looking for a song I want to be able to see the whole title, not just half of it. Metro was a good idea but someone overcooked it. Fix the damn UI microsoft!

In fact why not scrap tiles as a replacement for notifications because that is not working. Counters disappear when you load the app even when you still have unread messages. And there is not enough customisation for developers. They need to be able to add their own graphics and animation, and have access to more tile UI elements than just text or a counter. They should make live tiles more flexible, but make them like a more customisable google now - providing the information relevant to the user at the time, whilst important notifications are kept in the notification centre.

The enthusiasm you see from Ben Rudolph is his job. He is paid to show that energy. For all you know he slips out his iPhone 5 the moment he goes home. Same goes for Joe Belfiore who's sort of a public figure too.